Oh, Canada Review: Paul Schrader’s Reunion with Richard Gere Brings Mixed Results

   December 5, 2024

I approached Oh, Canada with some trepidation, given the mixed reception it received after its Cannes debut. Paul Schrader has been on a creative upswing since 2018’s First Reformed, crafting films that explore deeply introspective characters navigating profound moral and existential crises. Although Schrader insists that Oh, Canada is not part of his “lonely man trilogy” (First Reformed, The Card Counter, and Master Gardener), it’s hard to ignore the thematic throughlines it shares with those movies.

Oh, Canada - Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi in Oh, Canada

Leonard Fife, portrayed by Richard Gere (Days of Heaven, I’m Not There) in the present and Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Priscilla) in flashbacks, may not fit the archetype of Schrader’s solitary men entirely—he has admirers and companions during his final days. Yet, his yearning for deeper connection and reflection on a life marked by regret and introspection unmistakably aligns him with Schrader’s prior protagonists, embodied by Ethan Hawke, Oscar Isaac, and Joel Edgerton. If Schrader weren’t so adamant about its distinction, Oh, Canada could easily be considered a thematic sibling to those films.

In Oh, Canada, Leonard Fife reflects on a tumultuous past as a documentary filmmaker, activist, and draft dodger who fled to Canada to escape conscription during the Vietnam War. His life is a tapestry of regrets and buried secrets, which he begins to unravel for a team of young documentarians played by Michael Imperioli, Uma Thurman, and Kristine Froseth. This setup allows Fife to confront his past aloud, laying bare the personal and political struggles that have shaped him.

Richard Gere’s reunion with Paul Schrader, decades after American Gigolo, is a highlight of the film. Gere imbues Fife with a charismatic yet soft-spoken intensity, commanding attention while subtly steering every aspect of the story. His performance captures both the quiet confidence and the underlying vulnerability of a man who has carried the weight of his choices for decades.

You can tell Paul Schrader is reveling in the creative possibilities of Oh, Canada. The film experiments with time and editing in a way that feels deliberately performative, exploring themes of art, memory, and how both intersect and erode over time. Leonard Fife serves as an unreliable narrator, recounting a life of love and artistic ambition with a mix of candor and self-deception. While grappling with terminal cancer, Fife becomes determined to craft a final portrait of himself—a controlled narrative that highlights his virtues before others uncover the more troubling skeletons in his closet.

Oh, Canada - Richard Gere, Uma Thurman
Richard Gere and Uma Thurman in Oh, Canada

Despite Schrader’s evident enthusiasm, much of Oh, Canada left me feeling disconnected. The interplay between Gere’s older Fife and Elordi’s younger version creates an intriguing dynamic, but the frequent time jumps and crowded cast of secondary characters muddle the narrative’s focus. Schrader’s ambitious juggling of ideas—some profound, others underdeveloped—results in a film that feels less like a cohesive whole and more like a scattershot collection of concepts. While the craftsmanship and indulgence in aesthetic choices are undeniably striking, the emotional and thematic resonance gets lost amid the noise.

Oh, Canada carries a wistful, almost buoyant energy, marking a departure from the darker, more brooding tones that often define Paul Schrader’s oeuvre in films like Light Sleeper, Hardcore, and First Reformed. It feels more at home alongside Schrader’s softer works, such as Touch or Master Gardener, with its sense of quiet optimism. Schrader seems less fixated on the bleakest aspects of human nature here, opting instead for a reflective, fluid exploration of memory, aging, and artistic legacy.

Surprisingly, though, Oh, Canada comes across as somewhat aimless during its runtime. While it may not be Schrader’s swan song, it’s difficult to avoid drawing parallels between Leonard Fife’s sprawling, storied career and Schrader’s own. The film suggests a filmmaker wrestling with the disarray of ideas that come with growing older, which results in a work that feels sprawling and unfocused compared to Schrader’s recent, tightly constructed dramas.

Visually, it channels the aesthetic qualities of Affliction or Auto Focus, but its narrative struggles to match their coherence or emotional weight. Similarly, while its pessimism toward the world aligns with works like The Comfort of Strangers or The Canyons, the thematic fragmentation leaves Oh, Canada feeling like a patchwork quilt of Schrader’s musings rather than a cohesive meditation on its central themes.

Score: 5/10

More Movies Starring Richard Gere

Richard Gere has starred in many movies, including:

  • Days of Heaven (1978)
  • American Gigolo (1980)
  • Pretty Woman (1990)
  • Primal Fear (1996)
  • Chicago (2002)
  • I’m Not There (2007)
  • Oh, Canada (2024)

More Movies Starring Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi has starred in many movies, including:

More Movies Directed by Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader has directed many movies, including:

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